Sincerely Yours, Miss Granger
by Raven Varie
Summary: Hermione is on a quest to find the truth about her former Professor and becoming a new teacher at Hogwarts certainly makes it easier. However, Snape visits her bedchamber in the middle of the night and coerces her into a sacred wizard's oath
1. Chapter 1

Chapter I: The Hunches

Disclaimer: I do not own anything except a theory, but all characters and settings and practically everything else belong to JK Rowling.

Sitting at her dark cherry mahogany desk, Hermione Granger stared pensively out the window of her room. She had two days left before she was to head back to the Burrow where her best mates and the rest of the Order members were currently situated. She was advised to stay with Harry and Ron for the entire summer, however she felt it prudent to see her parents for a short while before returning to the magical world. She had few friends left in the muggle world and she wanted to see them as well. There was no certain way of knowing if she was ever going to see them again, not with the eminent war now upon the other side.

She sighed heavily and pushed herself away from the desk, rolling a few feet backwards and proceeded to stare at the ceiling. A pack of unopened cigarettes lay at the corner of her desk and she was tempted to have one. She didn't try to make it a habit; it was simply something she did with her muggle friends in the very few visits she made. Her parents would probably kill her, even though they have admitted to doing it back in their younger days.

What ever happened to having fun as a teenager? What happened to dating? Mindless trips to the cinema? Walks in the park even? It couldn't hurt to be normal, and cigarettes were normal certainly. They were rebellious and everything of the sort, everything Hermione was not. In her mind, it helped her get far far away from what had slowly become her life.

Nothing was safe anymore, and Hermione couldn't afford stupid mistakes or carelessness. She had always thought her hard work would pay off later, but now it seems that it has only offered her more of the same.

Too many things had happened over the course of her sixth year. With Dumbledore gone, she wondered if Hogwarts was going to reopen for her final year. She doubted that parents were pleased that a member of the faculty had murdered the headmaster.

Since the day she first walked through the school's iron gates, she had glorious fantasies of graduating and receiving the highest honors and praises from her peers as well as her mentors. She imagined many owl posts from prestigious magical universities with fellowships to match. Such thoughts seemed petty and trivial to her now. How on Earth was she to concentrate on her NEWTS with everything else going on? It was nearly impossible to keep up her academic habits and have a social life as it was. Helping Harry achieve his goals and going on their little 'adventures' had always been an integral part of Hermione's schooling. Now, school just didn't have the same appeal it once had.

She certainly wouldn't have received any praise from Professor Snape, wanted by the Ministry or not. The dour man never praised anyone, let alone her. What's worse was the man was a skilled Occlumens, so Veritaserum wouldn't even force an ounce of praise. Something…just didn't sit right with her however.

"How is it possible?" she asked herself out loud, wondering about her Headmaster's demise. Her forefinger and thumb found its place on opposite sides of her chin as she pursued her lips. It just didn't fit right. Dumbledore had implicitly trusted Snape, without any consideration that he may be evil, yet the man turned out to be his murderer.

Since the day Harry told her and everyone else what he had witnessed, she made a vow to find out the entire truth about her former professor. She wanted to believe in his guilt, like everyone else had, but something in her, she was unsure what, persuaded her otherwise.

There had to be a reason why Dumbledore trusted him and if Dumbledore trusted him, it gave her sound reason to do so as well. Though Harry chalked it up to Dumbledore's age, Hermione wasn't quite satisfied with how Snape pulled a fast one on him. No one pulled a fast one on Dumbledore. It didn't matter how many plans had gone awry or how many unexpected setbacks there were, he had always found a way around everything. There was always an answer to everything, a purpose for everything. There are no coincidences…

So far in her quest for the truth, she had found absolutely nothing. Not being a witness to the crime was no help either. There was no evidence in even proving that Snape was a good man, no leads or anything.

"I must be going mad…I'm just grasping at straws," she thought while she focused her attention to the window again.

Hermione had known all along that the potions book belonged to Snape; there was no other person that was so knowledgeable in the craft. The underlying sarcasm in each of the text's comments should have been a dead giveaway. "Just shove a bezoar down their throats", Hermione chuckled to herself. The handwriting was undoubtedly the same as the spiky O's and E's, sometimes a "not completely awful" or "doable", she had received on her essays and homework assignments. How had the boys completely missed that? Especially since their essays had many scathing remarks from the man. Honestly, it wasn't her most brilliant of deductions.

Hermione sighed; it was not like they looked at their essays after they'd seen the grade anyway. Revision and improvement weren't exactly on their priority lists. However, it was visible proof and Hermione discovered it almost right away. Snape being a "half-blood prince" had set off alarms in her head. She could not simply rest until she figured out what that had meant. Surely he couldn't have been a half-blood, being Head of Slytherin, king of all prejudice.

In the end, she had presumed Harry was better off not knowing, so she led him in different directions as who the book could belong to. Through private researching, she discovered that Snape's mother carried the maiden name Prince; hence the self-proclaimed title Snape had given himself. Snape being a half-blood… now there was a bet she would have lost.

Secretly, Hermione wondered what it would have been like to go to school with the man, and was curious to see if his behavior as a teenager was any different. Perhaps if he wasn't such a pariah in his school years, he wouldn't have landed himself in the Death Eater's circle. But was being a pariah his social choice? Nevertheless, there was no way of knowing now. The Ministry had locked up all the time turners, and if they hadn't, it wasn't like she had any access or permission to use one. Professor McGonagall had taken hers away after her third year after discovering she had abused it, albeit for a good cause.

Professor Snape could be described as nothing short of a genius in Potions, but she couldn't help but wonder how well he had excelled at the Dark Arts. She couldn't fully experience his teaching expertise in that area. Walking into his new classroom for the first time exhilarated her, because she knew that for once, she was to have a real teacher in DADA for the first time. Professor Lupin was an adequate teacher, but he simply didn't have the fervor Snape did. In numerous ways, he could be viewed as a drama queen, but Hermione found it strangely attractive that he could be so passionate about teaching, though he loathed all of his students. She could remember everything he had said that class, memorizing the loving caress in his voice as he spoke about his subject and a shiver wound its way down her body as she thought about it again.

"_The Dark Arts," he had said, "are many, varied, ever-changing, and eternal. Fighting them is like fighting a many-headed monster, which, each time a neck is severed, sprouts a head even fiercer and cleverer than before. You are fighting that which is unfixed, mutating, indestructible."_ By then, Hermione's eyes were fastened on her Professor, absorbing and feeling every word he that came out of his mouth. _"Your defenses must therefore be as flexible and inventive as the arts you seek to undo."_

Harry had resented Snape for as long as she could remember and with good reason. Hermione could not argue his reasons for his inextricable hatred for the man, nonetheless, she could not bring herself to feel the same, no matter how incriminating his actions had seemed. There were other things beyond seeing and hearing. The unspoken has the power outweigh words and natural logic. She knew that if Harry or Ron had caught wind of her beliefs, they would be convinced that she had gone mad or had turned traitor on them all. How could she prove to her friends that her sense of justice was what was driving her to verify Snape's innocence? Once she gathered enough data to confirm her hunches, then she would tell them all about it. If anyone could make them realize the truth, it was her. In turn, they could convince the rest of the Order and perhaps clear Snape's tarnished reputation.

Her hopes were then dashed by reality.

"Who in bloody hell am I kidding?" she said, defeated. It probably wouldn't matter how much evidence she had, they would never listen. Harry perhaps hated Snape more than he hated Voldemort. Although Voldemort had killed his parents, Snape had given up the prophecy to him and killed Harry's hero and the closest father figure he's ever had. Snape was blacklisted and she doubted that he would ever be removed from it. Thinking about it further, Hermione was slowly realizing how farfetched her ideas really were. No matter, she was going to attempt the impossible anyhow; she was never one to run away from a challenge. It was not like she was in love with the professor, she simply did not want to see an innocent man rot away in Azkaban or be killed over a misunderstanding. Fatigue began to overwhelm the young woman and she realized she had been sitting in her room merely thinking, for hours.

She yawned, "Good gracious, I need to go to sleep." She stretched her arms over her head and stood up, eyeing her bed and coverlet. Lazily, she sauntered over and plopped herself nicely into a comfortable position.

Two days later, Hermione had made a tearful goodbye to her parents and apparated to The Burrow with her most important belongings. She was still wiping tears away when Ron's mother came out of the door and ushered her inside hurriedly.

"Come child, quickly! You never know what kind of things could be lurking about. Even in the middle of the daylight, the Death Eaters have gotten bolder in their actions since the Headmaster's death," she explained. The door shut behind Hermione and she let her eyes wander around the familiar house. Everything was disheveled and noisy as usual.

"How many people are here?" she asked looking for any signs of Harry and Ron.

"Just about the whole lot probably. Harry and Ron are upstairs with Ginny and the twins, umm…" she tapped her index finger on her chin, "Oh, and Bill and Charlie are with Arthur at the Ministry, trying to figure out security measures for the house and regulations and all that nonsense. I believe Nymphadora and Remus are with Professor McGonagall debating whether or not school will continue for the next year." Hermione interrupted her.

"When will we find out if school is going to reopen?!" she asked rather loudly. Molly was taken back for a moment, not expecting the sudden change in Hermione's attitude and chortled softly.

"Hopefully today my dear, they've been working on it ever since you left to see your parents. It's been a dreadful argument, of course the boys wouldn't mind school being cancelled, but I'm sure it would just break your heart," she patronized and patted Hermione on the back. She grew more uncomfortable by the second as Mrs. Weasley looked as if she was going to burst into tears. Before she could say something, she was interrupted herself.

"Mione!" Ron had exclaimed and came barreling down the stairs to greet her.

"Hey Ron," she smiled. Well he certainly seemed happy to see her. He motioned for her to go up the stairs and ran back up there before she could nod in acquiescence. She looked over to Ron's mother.

"Go on, I'm sure everyone would like to see you now," she smiled tearfully and proceeded to clean some of the impossible mess that had possessed the house. She whispered a spell to minimize her luggage and floated it up the stairs. She reached the boys' room and found everyone surrounding Harry, who talked animatedly. He looked up for a moment, acknowledging Hermione's presence.

"Hey Harry," she said softly and said her hellos to the twins and Ginny.

"I'm glad you're here Mione, we're all talking about school next year," he said simply.

"Well, what about it? Ron's mother said it wasn't a certainty that it would be opening again."

"It doesn't really matter, Ron and I aren't going back anyhow," he said quickly, waiting for her reply.

"Ron? Why isn't he-…" it suddenly dawned on her, "I thought you were going alone Harry," she said quietly. Harry and Ron cast sideways glances towards each other, trying to figure out a way to word their plans without hurting her feelings.

"That was my original plan, but he's convinced me otherwise you see, that maybe…well...that I shouldn't do this alone, you know?" he said pleadingly.

"What about me? Can't I go with you?"

"It's best we do it this way Hermione, we have more mobility if there are less people involved," Ron tried to explain.

"So you're saying that I would be a drag then?" Hermione was quick to anger.

"No Hermione it's not like that!" exclaimed Harry, nudging Ron in the ribs with his elbow. "Look, I didn't want Ron to come with me in the first place. We've actually fought tooth and nail over it," it was then Hermione took a good look at the boys and realized what Harry was saying was the truth. There were small nicks and bruises on the boys' arms and a small bruise had formulated on Ron's left cheekbone.

"We told my mother that we fell off our brooms playing a little bit of Quittich, she can't find out I'm going with Harry, or she'll have a fit and I don't want to cause her any more grief, you know?"

"Don't you think she'll be even angrier with you if you just went off without telling her then?" she offered. Ron shrugged, not really knowing what else to say.

"Hermione…" Ginny spoke up for the first time, "Ron's never been that good in school, and you know as well as I that he wouldn't be into it this year. You're all about your subjects and that stuff, that's who you are. I think it's better this way myself, even though they both know I don't like the idea. At least you'll be with me." She gave a soft smile, trying to make light of the situation. Hermione sighed in defeat somewhat. She could technically beat the shit out of them in a debate and could weasel her way into their plans, but she just didn't have the heart to. They seemed so earnest.

"I guess so."

"Great!" Harry grinned, "Ron and I will be leaving shortly after Bill and Fleur's wedding." Blimey, Hermione forgot all about the sordid affair.

"Oh right," she replied. For the rest of the afternoon she learned everything that Harry witnessed in the Pensieves and every word that Dumbledore had relayed to him, leaving nothing out. At least Harry decided to share that with her, despite their protests in her joining them.

She had also learned that the wedding was to take place in two weeks time, at the Burrow. Although it was risky to have such an event out in the open, Bill had explained to his mother that he couldn't imagine it anywhere else except home. It wasn't going to be a large wedding, just a ministry official conducting it, family, close friends, and a usual, excellent Mrs. Weasley spread for the reception. Mrs. Weasley must've cried about that for days and the twins reassured Hermione that was exactly what she had done.

After a while, Hermione just sat back and listened to her friends go on and on about the wedding whilst slouching on the floor. She wondered what her friends would say if she mentioned her little plan.

"I'd better not even mention his name," she murmured.

"What was that Mione?" Harry asked. Hermione blinked and looked up, "Oh nothing, just thinking…"

"About what?" Ron chimed in. Hermione flushed, she was not about to tell them she was thinking of rescuing Snape.

"Just about everything y'know, it's a lot to take in, even for me," she answered. It was partly true.

"Everything will be all right Hermione, we'll all still be best mates after everything, I'll make sure of that. We've lost so many already, I'm not about to lose more people that are important to me," Harry said with a fierce determination. It secretly made Hermione feel safe that Harry would do everything in his power to protect those he cared about, not that she wouldn't return the favor. Somehow, he always made her feel better.

By the time evening fell, Mrs. Weasley announced that Professor McGonagall, Tonks, and Remus had arrived, so the gang had made their way down the stairs to hear whatever news there was to hear. Hermione noticed that Professor McGonagall looked older than she ever had, with perhaps a dozen more stress lines added to her face. After everyone had made their greetings, Minerva motioned for everyone to sit down.

"Hogwarts will be opening for another term-" this caused Hermione to whoop rather loudly, interrupting her. McGonagall held up her hand to regain silence, making Hermione blush from her rather passionate reaction.

"However, the Prime Minister of Britain has informed the Minister of Magic that no more muggleborn children will be allowed to attend Hogwarts. He claims to not want to endanger the "normal" population," she said tight-lipped. Hermione's vision suddenly clouded and she jumped out of her seat.

"That's absolutely ridiculous, what kind of ignorant man could say such a thing!?"

"Calm down Miss Granger, although I understand your anger, I had to concede. No "new" muggleborn students will be admitted this year, not until the war is over, however, students already enrolled have been given permission to come back," she explained. Hermione sat down and grumbled.

"Well, I still think it's ridiculous," she muttered under her breath as she folded her arms over herself.

"There will be other changes as well; for instance, this one directly affects you Miss Granger," she began, "You received the highest OWL in Potions, so I'm offering you the teaching position for it."

"What? But what about my own studies, I've no training, I'm too young, inexperienced and…" Hermione began to ramble on, completely flabbergasted by the offer. Minerva put a halt to it by holding her hand up to silence Hermione.

"I had a meeting with the staff and we've all come to the decision for you to take your NEWTS early. Provided a successful passing score in each subject you take, you will be eligible to teach at Hogwarts. Professor Slughorn has resigned and offers we have made were met with many refusals. Sixth and seventh year students have opted not to have Potions in their curriculum for the following term, so you would be teaching the first through fifth years. The staff and I have inextricable faith in you, Hermione, and we are all certain you will pass your NEWTS without a problem. We understand that this is going to be difficult for you; and yes you are much too young, however, we would not ask such a favor if it were not an emergency. We have no one else to turn to. We have Remus teaching Defense again this year, despite many protests from the pureblood communities. Hopefully your teaching Potions will draw attention away from him."

Hermione smiled at the Professor's little joke. It was reassuring that her teachers had such confidence in her abilities. It seemed that they desperately needed her help, what kind of witch would she be to turn them away.

"When would I take my NEWTS?"

"In two weeks time, we will provide all the necessary reading material you'll need to brush up on your subjects. The test will take place at the Ministry and if you pass, you will go through a week long intensive seminar in teaching since you have not yet graduated, and they are still somewhat skeptical of a student's ability to teach. I have no doubt that you will more than satisfy their requirements."

"Two weeks! How could I possibly be prepared in two weeks, and to think I was wasting all that time I was doing nothing at my parents' house! I had better get started soon then," Hermione said, growing more excited at every word. Her years at being a know-it-all have finally paid off.

"Yes, your books will be delivered by owl tomorrow morning, so I suggest you devote most of your time to them," Minerva smiled. Hermione could only nod enthusiastically; it wasn't like she was planning to do otherwise.

As Minerva went on, Hermione delved into her own thoughts. This was a giant step indeed. She wondered if she could handle such a thing. Could she handle the work load? Would the students even take her seriously? It was hard to teach, she remembered the headaches she got from simply tutoring those in her own House. Now she would be in charge of the majority of the student body. How would she go about the whole teaching thing? Was there a right way to teach? Perhaps she could take the Snape approach to teaching. The absurdness of the last thought caused her to giggle out loud, causing McGonagall as well as everyone else to look at her. Oh great…now she had gone and done it. The giggle ended almost as soon as it began.

"Miss Granger is there something wrong?" she lifted an eyebrow, clearly annoyed that she had been interrupted again. First the girl stopped paying attention and then giggles for no reason; Minerva hoped she wasn't going mad; this was the most inopportune time for that.

"No professor," she blushed, "I suppose I'm just tired, maybe I ought to go to sleep. It's just that there's so much to take in," she covered up quickly. Seemingly satisfied with Hermione's answer, Minerva's features softened. "I know child… and believe me, we all appreciate your helping us," she smiled somewhat. Hermione could only return the gesture. Minerva continued on with more Hogwarts prattle. New safety rules and curfews were to be instated as well as an Auror almost present outside each classroom, should anything amiss occur. Security was even tighter than the year before, which was saying a lot.

"That's all the news I have I'm afraid. I shall be back to collect Miss Granger for her NEWTS in two weeks, unless I have any more news for anyone," she concluded.

"Surely you would like to stay for tea? I'm sure you've had a busy day," Molly offered.

"No, I must be getting back, I have other dealings with the ministry to attend to, but I thank you for your generosity Molly," she smiled and motioned for Remus and Tonks to follow her out.

Everyone filed out of the dining room in a matter of minutes, so Hermione headed up the stairs to Ginny's room, where she would be sleeping for the remainder of the summer.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: The Oath

Hermione collapsed on her bed in a colossal heap. It had to be almost one o'clock in the morning, and surprisingly, she was the first one to retire. The reception for Bill and Fleur's wedding was still going strong at this late hour. Even as worrisome as Mrs. Weasley had been the past few weeks, she seemed to enjoy herself well enough. Enough wine and spirits can positively do wonders. The wedding seemed to be a lit candle amidst the darkness. The happiness generated by newlyweds lifted everyone out of their dismal moods.

It was a beautiful ceremony, despite its simplicity. If Hermione didn't have to wake early the next morning to take her exams, she probably would've still been out there. The last two weeks had been hectic and draining to Hermione's mental state. Though she had studied well ahead in her sixth year, there was still much to learn. The fear of not doing well ate away at her. She did not want to disappoint.

"I must calm down and go to sleep," she urged herself silently. Passing these exams was imperative for her mission. If she secured the position in teaching Potions, she would have unrestricted access to the dungeons and if Slughorn didn't completely empty all of Snape's things from the classroom, then some of his possessions may still be left there. It was a long shot, but any clues would help. If Snape hadn't planned to betray the Order, then all of his stuff should still be in the dungeon. If he did indeed murder Dumbledore in cold blood, then surely he would've planned it and planned an escape and would've found someplace else for his things, or someone could've gotten rid of them. Oh well, she would find out soon enough she supposed and finally drifted off to sleep.

Bright and early, Hermione woke up looking an absolute mess. Groggily she walked over to her mirror and it even winced.

"My, my you look a fright dear girl. Perhaps a proper toilette will leave you looking refreshed," it stated. Its unnecessary comment made her want to give it an obscene finger gesture, but she was simply too tired. Wandering to the bathroom, Hermione grabbed her maroon bathrobe and flung it over her shoulder.

"Gods I feel awful," she said to herself. Normally she wasn't this exhausted after lack of enough sleep, she was certainly used to it during the school year, but perhaps the reception wore her out. That, or thinking of Snape all night wore her out.

"That thought didn't even sound right to me," she chuckled as she rubbed her eyes. "I _really_ must be tired."

After fully undressing she stepped under the hot mists of the shower and let the heat envelope her body. Shortly after she had grown accustomed to the temperature, Hermione turned the knob and cold water sprayed across her. Her body became a mass of gooseflesh. The shock of that certainly woke her up and she finally stepped out of the shower. Grabbing a towel, she dried herself and looked in the mirror once again. "An improvement, but not quite there yet," she thought.

She grabbed her bottle of hair serum and weaved it in her wet locks. It should dry relatively tamer and she had her flat iron, which her cousins bought her for Christmas. Though offended at the time, she now realized how useful it was.

"I don't care what anyone says, magical charms have nothing on muggle hair care products," she smiled. She finished with her appearance ten minutes later and decided she would have a cup of tea while she waited for McGonagall. She headed downstairs and conjured up a cup of tea and her books so she could review for the next half hour that she had. Of course, if she were just any ordinary witch, she could've slept for an extra hour, but as everyone knew, Hermione was no ordinary witch but rather a possessed, obsessed, insufferable know-it-all bookworm witch. Yes…that seemed about right.

She smiled at herself for being so on top of things. Not many people would've got as far as her with the books if they were only given two weeks to pass their NEWTS. Though she was still apprehensive over the exams, she felt that she couldn't have done a better job of preparing. Turning down little play dates with Ron and Harry, reading outside while the others played Quittich, having a different subject to read at breakfast, lunch and dinner. Normally Molly wouldn't allow her to have books at the table, as it was bad manners, but she understood how important it was for Hermione to be as well read about her subjects as possible.

She finished her Potions text as soon as she saw Minerva Apparate into the kitchen. Hermione stood up and gathered her things.

"Ah, prompt as usual Miss Granger, excellent. This is not a time to be dallying about. I trust you've prepared yourself to the best of your abilities," she said.

"Oh yes Professor, absolutely," Hermione nodded.

"Very well, then we must be on our way, the Ministry will not be kept waiting, I assume you have your Apparition license?" At that Hermione only nodded again.

"Well then, I will see you there," she said and popped out of the kitchen. Hermione took at deep breath and followed suit.

Five hours later, Hermione treaded out the door of the Ministry of Magic. She had just completed six NEWT exams and would find out tomorrow if she succeeded in all the areas. Minerva downright demanded her to go home and get some rest. It was only a little after noon, but Hermione felt it should be much later. She composed herself for a minute before finally apparating back to the Burrow. Little did she know there would be a whole slew of people waiting for her arrival. She was attacked with numerous questions and congratulations that she didn't know quite how to respond to them all.

"So how do you think you did?"

"If you pass you'll be a teacher at Hogwarts then?"

"Do you think you'll need a cup of tea, I have some prepared in the kitchen."

"Oy! I think you'd be a much better auror with your talents. We could use more like you."

"Hermione why don't you relax a bit, watch me and Harry play some Quittich?" This was when Hermione finally decided to speak up.

"It's Harry and me, Ronald and no, my idea of relaxing is taking a nice long nap for the rest of the day, without anyone bothering me," she sort of shouted towards the end. Everyone paused, seeming a little disappointed with her less than cordial behavior. She softened at all their crestfallen expressions.

"Look, please don't take this personally, but I've had a very long day, and I would just like some sleep. Maybe when I get up later, I'll be feeling up to answering everyone's questions," she said.

"Of course dear, here go right on upstairs, you must be positively tapped out," Molly began to usher Hermione up the stairs and shushed everyone. "I'll bring up a cup as soon as you've settled back in." Hermione nodded and continued to her room.

Hermione woke up without knowing for sure exactly what time it was. Deciding she ought to get out of bed, she fumbled with the lamp on her nightstand, and finally managed to flip the switch on.

"So the know it all finally awakens…"

Hermione's head snapped up and her eyes scanned the room. That voice…it couldn't possibly be. She rubbed her eyes and shook her head.

"I must be overtired, I'm hearing things," she said out loud and looked up again. The sight she was greeted with made her heart unexpectedly pound against her ribs and her breath catch in her throat. Severus Snape stepped out of one of the shadowed corners of her room.

"Overtired you may be, but you are certainly not hearing things," he seemed to laugh at her…"silly little girl."

"This isn't possible, I must be dreaming," she whispered, hoping beyond hope that her assessment was correct, like it always was.

"Don't tell me I have to pinch you," he sneered at her and began walking towards her. As she edged up on the bed, the reality of him became clearer and clearer. However, it wasn't until he was inches from her that she finally reacted and opened her mouth to scream.

Faster than lightning, he deftly clamped his hand upon her mouth and put a solitary finger to his own lips. She could do nothing but stare at him in shock.

"Now you're going to listen to me very carefully Miss Granger and if you value your life, you'll not tell anyone about our little interlude and you're going to do exactly as I tell you," he stared right through her and she thought she might die of fright. As much as she convinced herself he was innocent, his very presence in her room terrified her.

"Do you understand Miss Granger?" he asked, regaining her attention once more. She could only nod dumbly as he lowered his hand from her trembling mouth. She thought to try and scream again, but she needed information, she had to know what happened, and this was perhaps the only opportunity she had to gain his trust.

"Sir, Ron and Harry are downstairs along with the rest of the order for Merlin's sake, you need to get out of here!" she whispered loudly. He seemed to only laugh at her again.

"Here I am in your bedchamber threatening your life Miss Granger, and you warn me about my own predicament? Have you completely taken leave of your senses girl?"

"But sir-," his hand stopped her from further speech.

"I'll have you know that the Order has been promptly, incapacitated at the moment." Hermione's eyes widened and could not help but let the fear take hold of her again.

"Now, don't look so frightened, I've caused no permanent damage. They'll be heavily sleeping for a long time," he smirked at her, enjoying the fact that he could still terrorize one of his students.

"How? There must have been-," he silenced her again.

"Now Miss Granger, let's look at all the facts. I am and accomplished Potions Master, and a spy for the majority of my life, now I believe that's all the information your little brain needs to properly deduce what you need to know." Hermione couldn't help but feel stupid, as she always had in his presence.

"What's to stop me from telling everyone about you as soon as you leave here? I'll be protected at Hogwarts and you won't be able to get to me there," Hermione decided to be defiant, not liking how precarious her situation had become.

Snape sighed; he had hoped it wouldn't come to this. He needed her, but he would never lower himself to admitting that. Not to anyone.

Hermione thought she saw a flash of disappointment overlay his eyes, but it was gone before she could be certain.

"So you want to play that game Miss Granger? Well then… what's to stop me from giving away your parents to the Dark Lord," his lips curled up in a malicious smirk. "You should be thankful that I haven't called attention to Potter's brilliant Mudblood friend. The moment you betray me, is the moment that you'll know you'll never see your parents again."

"They've been relocated, you'll never find them! Do you think Professor McGonagall hadn't thought of rearranging things around your betrayal?!" Snape laughed at her again and all it made her want to do was cry.

"You wouldn't…you couldn't do that to me," her voice started breaking, but she never broke eye contact. "You are loyal to the Order… I just know you are."

"I do things to suit my own needs, never forget that Miss Granger. Now, do we have a deal?" He offered his hand to her. She paused before nodding her consent. As she raised her hand to his, he started muttering an incantation. She waited until he finished before asking what it was.

"It's a Wizard's Oath, with a very high ultimatum, Miss Granger. You must keep my belongings safe and you will keep my being here a secret. My belongings are in a desk in my private office. It's heavily warded, but I will give you the passwords and the proper counter curses in a separate message. I will be able to infiltrate Hogwarts from time to time to relay information, but you must not tell anyone it came from me. You'll make a 'brilliant observation' that will lead you to whatever I tell you. No one would know the wiser and under no circumstance will you show my belongings or tell anyone about me without my express permission. Now… do you agree Miss Granger?"

She lowered her hand and looked back up at him. "You said there was a high ultimatum, what exactly is it?"

"I'm pleased you're paying attention. Hopefully by knowing the dire consequences or your betrayal, you won't be stupid enough to commit it." She didn't say anything, just wanting him to tell her what would happen to her if she did tell anyone.

"Your life, Miss Granger, will be forfeit and you will belong to me. Should you break this oath, I could kill you, use you as a trap for Mr. Potter, or personally use you for my own needs," he smirked at her look of disgust.

"That can't be legal," she said.

"Oh but it is and I'll not go to Azkaban for it should I decide that I want to be rid of your useless existence. The Ministry recognizes the oath as an ancient form of agreement and as long as you know of the consequences, you will be legally, if not magically bound to my every whim. Now, Miss Granger, I'm sure that does not sound desirable to you."

"No, it doesn't, but I don't have much of a choice do I?"

"No, you have every bit of a choice. You must decide what's more important, your life, or the lives of your loved ones. Besides, you'll not regret doing what I asked of you. In the end, you'll realize that."

Hermione bit her bottom lip and knew already that she would accept. She didn't want to seem so eager however, she just wanted information.

"I'll do it then, just keep your belongings safe and your being here a secret, I think I'll be able to handle that."

"Very well, then all you have to do is touch my hand and the oath will take its hold on you Miss Granger." His stare bore right into her and all of a sudden she had never been more nervous in her entire life.

"Are you ready Miss Granger?"

"Yes," she responded and tentatively reached back up for his hand. As their fingertips touched, she felt an overwhelming warmth permeate her hand and pulled it back abruptly, as if he were on fire.

"Naturally, you will feel the workings of the spell; this is old magic we're invoking. Now, again."

Hermione strangely felt as if she were being instructed by him again and couldn't help but comply. She took his hand and watched it glow a brilliant orange color. The light radiated to all corners of her dark bedroom and she then concentrated her gaze towards Snape.

Severus never took his eyes off the girl. The determination in her eyes was nothing short of inspiring. She would be a helpful ally, he was sure of it. There would be no reason to give him away, her friends would surely believe her to be mad and the ramifications of the oath would truly scare her away from traitorous thoughts. Not that he would kill her. Perhaps turn her into his personal errand runner for the rest of his days. Either way, he needed those items to be protected and after the girl discovers them, she will know the truth anyhow. Once the glaze died down, Snape felt faint and staggered back. He looked up to see Granger heaving breaths.

"Are you all right Miss Granger," he didn't know why he asked, he didn't particularly care. She nodded in response and he walked stealthily back up to her and took her face in his hands.

"Remember, you must not forget the consequences and don't be stupid," he warned her and couldn't mistake the fear in her eyes.

"Yes sir, you can trust me," she said breathily. He let go of her and his face reverted back into its trademark sneer.

"We shall see."

With that he apparated and left Hermione in a confused state.

"Maybe if I go back to sleep, I'll wake up and realize this was just a dream," she said to no one but herself and rested her head back into the comfort of her pillows.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3: Going Back to Hogwarts

Hermione walked to the front gates of Hogwarts with her now fellow colleague, Minerva McGonagall. Her trunks were shrunk into the tiny pockets of her new teaching robes and she was anxious to descend upon Snape's things. After waking the next morning of their encounter, she found various members of the Order scattered about, in a deep sleep. She knew then that he wasn't a dream or a vision and that she now had the responsibility of keeping him a secret. Not that she minded responsibility at all; she just didn't want to be sneaky or underhanded to her friends about it. She didn't like keeping secrets from them, but she had to do what she had to do. They'd be sure to understand in the end, they always did. The information Snape was to give to her could very well save them all, as long as he wasn't lying to her, and she couldn't be certain if he was.

She practically begged Minerva to shack up in the dungeons instead of Gryffindor Tower, claiming the ruse that the classroom was much closer and all the Potions supplies were already down there. She reluctantly agreed, but only if the Floo network was directly connected with Minerva's office, should anything suspicious occur and so that Hermione could get above ground in a hurry, should the need arise. When Minerva arrived with the news that Hermione passed all her examinations in record scores, she wasn't as excited as she thought she would be. It seemed that more important things were at stake than her NEWT scores, though she needed them to access Snape's things anyhow.

By the time Hermione reached the cold, desolate place, she could help but feel an inkling of fear of what lied behind the heavy, intimidating doors.

"I trust you'll be able to handle yourself Hermione and if you need anything at all, please just Floo to my office. Classes begin in a week's time and don't let them walk all over you. You've done us a great service, and I wish to thank you again."

"There's no need Professor, thank you for the opportunity, I won't disappoint."

"I'm certain you won't. Also, if you wish to further any part of your education, you may do so doing your free class time. Many Wizarding institutes educated through owl post and you should have a little more free time than the rest of the staff by teaching the first through the fifth years. By doing this, I will ensure you that at the end of term you will have the entire staff's recommendations to do whatever it is you wish to do. Should you decide to take an apprenticeship, any of the professors here would be delighted to take you on."

"Thank you Professor, I'll be sure to keep that in mind," she offered a small smile and watched Professor McGonagall bid her leave. Hermione turned to the doors in front of her and muttered her new password. The doors opened slowly and she was greeted with a luxurious sitting room. Having never been in any of her professor's private chambers, she had no idea what to expect with Snape's. It looked as if no one had touched it since the end of last term.

The lanterns sitting in black sconces upon the wall lit up upon her entry into the room. The dark candlelight didn't provide adequate light for reading Hermione had thought and pursued her lips. It did, however, look very pleasing and she couldn't put a finger onto why.

The carpeting was a deep burgundy and the small table in the middle of the room was a dark cherry mahogany, just the same as the desk in her bedroom. She walked to the center of the room and ran her hands along the soft black sofa and was very satisfied with the way if felt under her fingers. As she passed the table, the three candles in the center lit up and she noticed the serpentine design on the candle jars. The black swirling snake held two candles, one in the crook of its neck and the other was intertwined with the tail. When she took further notice, she realized it matched the sconces on the wall.

The were leather armchairs on the far side of the room, which to no one's surprise, were black as well. They faced the fireplace, which was beautiful in its own respect. It wasn't adorned with anything, any pictures or candles, but its base was black marble, which gleamed in the firelight.

What had attracted Hermione the most, were the heavy bookcases located in each corner of the room. She would have to peruse the shelves a little later, as now was time for exploring. After the sitting room was a short hallway which led into what seemed like a study. The desk was located on the right side of the room and faced the left. Behind the desk were more bookcases and on the opposite side of the room were another leather chair and more books.

"This must be the desk that Snape was talking about. He couldn't be talking about the adjoining office by the Potions classroom, for that was occupied by Slughorn the year previous. When she tried to touch the desk however, she felt a powerful shock seize her fingertips.

"Ow!" she pulled away and held her hand. It was no use; she would have to wait for Snape's message in order to get in his desk. Disappointed, she continued her tour. She walked further to view the bedroom, not realizing that her heart was beating more rapidly by the second. It seemed so illicit, even dirty to enter the man's bedchamber, though technically they were her chambers now.

"Couldn't they have cleaned everything out before I got here?" she asked herself, but was secretly pleased they hadn't touched a thing. Besides, she didn't have nearly as many books as Snape did. She looked into her new room and was surprised at what she saw. The color scheme was very much the same as the sitting room and the study, not one ounce of green or silver anywhere. You would think all Slytherins would smother their quarters with it.

The lanterns on the wall lit up with a fury and she was awash in wonder. The draperies concealing the bed were burgundy along with the carpeting in this room as well. There was a small bookcase in the corner next to a small desk that matched the others. There were two wardrobes adjacent to one another, which had two winding serpents engraved on it. When she opened them, she found not a stitch of clothing, so maybe Snape had come back for those. There were two doors on opposite sides of the bedroom, one leading into a moderately sized Potions lab, while the other led to an equally lavish bathroom, encased with black marble tile and silver chrome. These chambers must've cost the man a fortune. He didn't seem like the type to indulge himself in such frivolities, not that Hermione was complaining. There was almost an air of sensuality permeating the rooms.

Hermione laughed at herself for that thought. There was absolutely nothing sensual about Snape. The man was harsh and barked orders and had a right-awful temper. Well… when he wasn't yelling, he had an exceptionally smooth voice…and the way he walked, no, glided across a room was admittedly graceful. Not to mention the hands…

"Oh Hermione get a hold of yourself!" she practically yelled. With that note, she returned her trunks to their normal size and proceeded to unpack her things. She admired Snape for his passion in potions and it seemed she was admiring his passion towards his attention to detail in his quarters. When she was finished, it night had already fallen and Hermione was exhausted.

"Looks like those books will have to wait until tomorrow," she yawned and pulled a Gryffindor red, cotton pajama set out of the wardrobe. Before pulling them on, she paused and looked at the material.

No, I don't think this'll do in a room like this; she thought to herself and transfigured the set into a silken pair. The tank and the bottoms remained the same except for its newly smoothed texture. Feeling strangely satisfied, she pulled them on and proceeded towards the bed. After whispering a cleaning spell over the sheets, she crawled in and marveled at how the material felt on her skin. The sheets were black, as to be expected, but the pillows were goose down feathered and the comforter the same. She supposed the man had to keep warm down here in the wintertime which explained the heavy, yet opulent bedding. Something inside of her told her that she should've changed everything, but resolved that perhaps this was a part of the oath. He did mention that she was to keep all of his belongings safe and everything in these chambers did indeed belong to him. Besides, she didn't want to be on the other hand of a rather nasty consequence.

The next morning, Hermione awakened and ordered strong tea along with dry toast to be brought down to her rooms. She normally didn't like ordering from the house elves, but she had realized that she was fighting a losing battle, though she would never admit that to anyone. All magical beings, creatures and humans alike deserve equal rights and that's all there was to it. Hermione quickly showered and dressed to get the rest of her day started. The tray of tea and toast happened to be sitting on the desk in the study when she spotted it and was thankful for the house elves habitual promptness. As she took a sip of her tea, a letter at the corner of the desk caught her eye.

"Now I don't recall this being here yesterday," she commented and reached for it. Turning it over she recognized the spiky handwriting and her eyes widened. What was more surprising was that it was addressed to simply "Hermione", not "Miss Granger", or silly little girl or insufferable know-it-all. How in the world did Snape manage to get a letter in here, she wondered and immediately felt stupid. Well, these were his quarters. He probably knows all sorts of secret ways to get in here and the like. Setting down her cup, she tore open the letter.

Here are the proper passwords and counter curses for the wards on my property. I trust you won't abuse your temporary stay here in my rooms. Do be neat and none of your dunderhead friends are permitted in here, although, that goes without saying. Remember the consequences.

SS

Relieved she finally got the passwords; she tried them immediately with the spells. She paused for a moment, wondering why her hands weren't immediately fumbling through the drawers. Instead, she was stepping away, and grabbed a piece of toast from her tray. No, she wasn't ready for the truth just yet. She may very well find out that he really is a traitor and is using her to keep the Order from finding him. The thought was unbearable, to think that she was played for a fool was not something Hermione wanted to fathom.

"I'll look at them later," she said and picked up her tray to move it to the sitting room. It was then she noticed a stack of parchments were hidden underneath it. They were also addressed to Hermione, so Snape must've left them with the note.

Professor Granger,

I've saved you the trouble of figuring out what all of your new dunderhead students will be doing for next term. I realize you lack much experience, unlike myself; therefore, I have taken the liberty of providing all lesson plans for years one through five for your disposal. If pride will allow you to let me help you, your students will benefit all the more for it.

SS

Well that was nothing short of startling. Professor Snape didn't help anyone but himself. Wait, no…that wasn't true either. He sacrificed his life many of times for the Order, but he murdered Dumbledore. Hermione shook her head and waved this off, at least she had a plan for this term and for that she was truly grateful. Perhaps this was Snape's way of paying her back for agreeing to help him. Who knows? All she knew was that there's an abundance of books in close range and she had an entire day free to herself, now that she didn't have to figure out what her students would be doing for the year.

Snape had an admirable collection of Muggle literature and plays, ranging from Shakespeare to Hemmingway and even to Jane Austen. On another shelf contained many volumes of Potions journals and practical manuscripts. Some were even written by Snape himself. Some of the potions in his journals were purely theoretical and never even tested. Two journals were dedicated to the cure for lycanthropy, and another four were based upon the diminishing the effects of the three Unforgivables. Others had touched upon the metabolic process of the human body, blood replenishers, and various healing draughts Hermione's never even heard of before. Looks like Snape was a busy man after classes ended and his teaching duties were abandoned for the day. Hermione knew he used detentions for grading essays as he seemed to get through four classes of essays in one sitting.

By noontime, Hermione had finished the journals on lycanthropy and her eyes began to blur the images in front of her.

"I think I need a break," she mumbled and shut the book. After deciding to take lunch in the Great Hall, she brushed her teeth and headed straight up. The staff was probably wondering what she'd been doing all morning.

"Why hello Miss-er I mean _Professor_ Granger," Hagrid greeted her with a wide smile and Hermione could only smile back.

"Hello Hagrid, it's great to see you."

"Glad ta sees yer joining us here," he chuckled despite the reasons why she was there in the first place.

Hermione was greeted with welcomes all across the board except for a glowering Trelawney, who was probably thinking of a nasty future to befall on her. She never did quite get over the "brightest witch of her age" disparaging the art of Divination. Ignoring the latter Professor, Hermione began to eat, wondering which journal she would read next. She didn't even realize an aggravated owl hooting and fluttering away to gain her attention.

"Oh! Sorry Hedwig, let me," she said and took the letter from its foot and Hagrid kindly gave the owl a treat from his pocket.

"There ya go little fella," he said, but the owl stayed put.

"She must be waiting for a response from me," Hermione said and quickly opened her mail.

Dear Hermione,

How is everyone at Hogwarts? I know term hasn't started yet but tell everyone that we'll miss them this year. Ron and I have already reached my parent's old house. We haven't begun searching yet, but we thought we ought to update you anyway. I hope we find something, we'll let you know. We love you.

Harry and Ron

Hermione was still a little perturbed at the fact they were so keen on leaving her behind but she hastily wrote a response.

Dear Harry and Ron,

Everything is fine here, I've only just arrived. I'll continue to research on anything I can that may help you. Please be safe and don't be careless. We can't afford any rash decisions now. Oh, and you had better keep updating me, I won't accept anything less.

Much love,

Hermione

Satisfied with her reply, she tied the letter to Hedwig's leg and sent her off. Hermione finished lunch and proceeded back to her rooms to polish off a little more reading before dinnertime. Besides, it was probably best that she review Snape's lesson plans thoroughly.

Several hours later the sun had disappeared enough to lure the moon out to search for him. Hermione had just gotten out of the shower after devoting much of her afternoon reading Snape's lesson plans for the year. She supposed she was content with the material in all of them. They were identical with what she was taught in all the years that Snape was her professor. Though she had developed a growing zeal for Potions, she didn't exactly agree with his methods. However, it still helped mold her into who she was today. His belittling comments taught her to develop a thick skin and she surmised that always having one's hand stuck in the air was not a sign of intelligence, but rather a sign of an anxious over-achiever. She walked over to the bed and sat down, vigorously drying her hair with a towel that matched the pale yellow fluffy one that she had struggled to cover herself with. Her skin still glowed from the summer and she contrasted with the rich darkness of her surroundings.

"Even if I was a little annoying, I was still better than the kids who didn't want to learn at all. I'll never be cruel like him," she resolved.

"Be like whom exactly, Miss Granger?"

She dropped the towel she was holding and her eyes darted across the room. It was truly amazing how this man penetrated through practically anything.

"Well are you going to come out or are you going to remain in the shadows Mr. Snape?" she said rather harshly. After all, it was rude to walk in when a girl was only dressed in a towel. Dear Gods, what if she had started changing her clothes already.

"Mr. Snape?"

"Well you are hardly my professor anymore, so I can't think of anything else to call you. Well…that isn't insulting that is," she remarked, her face still flushing. He advanced out of the shadows and for a moment, Hermione thought he was going to strike her, but he stopped, just inches from her body, and took her chin in his hand. He paused for a split second, marveling how soft her skin looked and felt.

"I believe that's enough of your Gryffindor boldness for tonight. If you must call me something, then you may call me Severus. After all, it happens to be my name. Your cheek is astounding for someone who is so afraid of me," he lowered his voice and made gripping eye contact with Hermione.

"I'm not afraid of you."

"Oh is that right?"

"That's right." He stepped back and raised his hand as if to slap her. When his hand descended, aiming towards her face, she flinched and rolled away.

"Why Miss Granger, that looked very much like the reaction of someone who is afraid of me. I am a little disappointed in your lack of faith in me. It takes the worst kind of man to strike a woman."

"Well you haven't given me any reason to believe that you aren't," she glared at him, angry that she hadn't called his bluff.

"I suppose that means that you haven't looked through the desk. I'm surprised at you. I was convinced that your insatiable curiosity would've demanded that you go through my things."

"Well I haven't! I don't…I don't want to know the truth yet," she admitted. His lips twitched up marginally.

"So, you don't wish to be disappointed Miss Granger? You don't want to realize that in the one moment you trusted me, gave your life to me, you sold your soul to the Dark Lord. Right now, you have no idea of knowing what really happened the night I killed Dumbledore or whose side I'm really on. Is that right?"

"Shut up! Shut up… you're just a horrid man," tears were streaming down Hermione's cheeks.

"The fact that you cannot tell anyone eats away at you doesn't it Miss Granger because you would prefer death than a life in my servitude," he wasn't laughing but she could certainly tell that his eyes were.

"You would not make a very good detective Miss Granger, for you have not yet examined all of the evidence. I was a fool to think that you would. I'll return here soon enough and that should leave you ample time to learn what will probably be the most important thing you have ever learned in your entire life."

Hermione looked into his eyes and had then realized how close his face was to hers. Were someone to walk in on them, they would appear to be in a very scandalizing position. Each of Snape's hands was placed on either side of her and he was leaning into her face. She felt her face flush again, albeit for a completely different reason this time. As if Snape had too realized exactly how close he was to her, he jerked away and stepped back into the shadows.

"When are you coming back?" She heard him chuckle slightly.

"We shall see." With that parting comment he seemed to disappear into the shadows once more.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4: More Research

"Evidence! Evidence! The insufferable man wants me to look at all the evidence. What am I supposed to do?" Hermione spat out as she was getting dressed the next morning. After the second encounter with Snape, she had lied awake for hours before falling asleep, trying to make sense of what he said. After having a small breakfast of oatmeal and fruit, she set forth the tasks she laid out for herself. Number one, look through to desk and number two, look through all the potions journals. Well…perhaps she should look through all the potions journals and _then_ look through the desk. After all, it couldn't hurt to learn a bit more before finding out the truth.

Determined to earn the upper hand in their next meeting, she took the journals on the Unforgivables, and the Blood Replenishing potions and set them down on the chair near the fireplace. Settling herself in the plush armchair, she couldn't quite get herself comfortable. Feeling about her seat, she came across a book settled in the creases of the chair.

"This must've been the last thing Snape was reading before he fled," she assumed and she looked at the cover.  
There was no title and it appeared newer than the rest of the books she had looked at.

"I wonder what type of book this is," she said to herself. She set down the Potions journal and flipped through the pages. Deciding to go through it, she got comfortable and began reading.

Hours later and Hermione was blushing furiously. Snape was a sick, sick man. No normal human being would enjoy reading about…_that._ Could they? Suddenly, Hermione felt it was much too warm in the room. The novel was beautifully written, but it was lush with explicit imagery and scenes. Hermione couldn't understand why she had continued reading it. Surely, she should be offended at the material, but she couldn't bring herself to put it down. She felt her heart beating in multiple spots of her body.

Sure she had read a few of her mother's romance novels, but they were mediocre in comparison. Snape likes this sort of thing? For a breath of a second, she wondered if Snape was the type of man who dominated his partners.

"Stop it!" she shook her head. These thoughts were much too inappropriate. Why would he leave something like this lying around for someone to find? The following image came unbidden into her mind and she gasped, scandalized that perhaps she wouldn't mind someone telling her, instructing her, _showing_ her how it must be done. That's it! He was trying to distract her on purpose! What a dirty trick.

Snapping the book shut, she began to pace about the room. There were so many different facets of her former professor. She really didn't know him at all. How many women had he entertained in these very rooms, dominating them, swiftly, skillfully caressing them? She felt her stomach roll at these thoughts, but couldn't be certain whether or not they were merely butterflies or nausea. Everything had suddenly and unwelcomingly become much more complicated.

She had always been curious about the… "act" but her Gryffindor boldness had abandoned her whenever she had come close to actually experiencing such things. Her deprivation must be causing these asinine thoughts. There couldn't be any possible way that she could think of Snape in that way normally. The man was a deplorable human being and needed a severe image overhaul. In fact, she probably would retch the moment he touched her… if that ever happened.

_You didn't want to throw up last night when he touched you_, came an uninvited, irritating voice in her head.

She wondered if there was perhaps some hidden clue. After all, a book like this was an obvious anomaly in a collection belonging to Snape.

"I need to focus on the journals, he'll come again and surprise me and make me feel inferior again," Hermione scolded herself and put the "naughty" book on the floor, feeling thoroughly disgusted with herself for becoming distracted and losing her already precious and short time.

Hermione breezed through the blood replenishing journal but was disappointed when she finally was ready to read the journals on the Unforgivables. Of course, she saved the best for last only to discover that all four journals contained no text. Did Snape remove them? Was there something in these journals he didn't want anyone to find? Hermione found herself burning with anxiety and the urge to find out more about Snape became overwhelming.

Snape did not do things without just cause. Everything he did, every movement he made always had a purpose. He was such a deliberate man. Like the night before, the raising of his hand to instill fear into her, the cupping of her chin…those weren't accidents. He had to make her fear him to obey. He barely intimidated her in the classroom; she had always simply risen to the occasion. He couldn't frighten her into a failing grade; however, it was a known fact that she was shy. Hermione could feel the workings in her brain start deducting Snape's behavior. Contact from the opposite sex was minimal, unless it was brotherly or friendly. His deliberate attempts to come close to her face in their past encounters, the threat of enslavement to him, the other book…they were signs, she was sure of it. Did those things really frighten her so much? Did they frighten her so much that she was conned into doing Snape's dirty work?

"Well _apparently_."

Glancing at the desk, she decided it was time. No more hesitation could be afforded. There were secrets to be learned and answers to be found. Her resolve unwavering, she moved over to the drawers and promptly chewed on her lower lip.

"Well, this is it."

She pulled the top drawer open, half expecting another shock to punish her. Inside was a pensieve, four journals identical to the fake ones on the bookshelves, a small leather-bound notebook engraved with the initials SS, and a silver pendant.

"Jackpot".

Placing each object on the desk, Hermione drew a deep breath.

"Don't hesitate…you need to do this," she resolved and immersed herself in the swirling bowl.

She found herself standing in the center of Hogwarts library. It looked as if it was after curfew, the librarian was nowhere in sight. Catching the barest glimmer of light in the corner, she walked towards it and stopped short when she saw who exactly was reading in the middle of the night. It was Snape of course, as a student. He almost resembled her, with the towering stacks of books, feverish writing, fingers ever stained with ink.

She walked closer, feeling safe with the knowledge Snape couldn't see her or detect her. She looked at his essay and realized he had started a potions journal already. He was working on lycanthropy! He was working on variations on the Wolfsbane Potion, as a student!

Before Hermione could speculate further, she found herself in another memory of his, he was older however. He was sitting in the confines of his chambers reading the very same book she had read only hours before. He seemed relaxed almost. Hermione noticed that he wasn't in his normal dour attire. He wore simply black slacks and an unbuttoned white shirt. His wet hair was combed back neatly, as if he had just gotten out of the shower.

"Well there goes that rumor," Hermione mumbled to herself. At least the man bathed, hopefully now it was on a regular basis. His face wasn't twisted up in his usual sneer, but his eyes were intense scanning the words on the pages. The firelight reflected on his irises, visually conveying the passion that he perhaps was feeling. His focus on the material made Hermione blush.

"I suppose he _does_ like that sort of thing. He certainly seems fascinated," she said.

In the next memory, she was in the Potions classroom watching Snape organize his student stores and saw Professor Dumbledore talking with him.

"Really Severus, when this is all over, you'll be able to live your life again. Start over perhaps; find a nice witch to settle down with."

"Your mind is becoming more muddled by the second Albus. I had no life of my own to begin with and I most certainly do not expect to be around to begin a new one."

"Now Severus."

"No! After I have fulfilled my role, I have no other purpose. Even if the barest stroke of luck allows me to survive, I have no intention of seeking out this 'nice witch' you are hell-bent on me finding," he sneered at the old man.

"After the hard life you have led, you deserve nothing less. Your deeds will not go unforgotten," Albus reassured.

"Deeds indeed…I do things solely to suit yours truly," Severus replied, dismissing Dumbledore. The old man just seemed to laugh at him.

"It never fails to amuse me that you like to believe that." With that parting shot, Dumbledore left Severus in an angry state. The irritation was evident in his eyes and Hermione saw him clutch the vial in his hands and shatter the fragile glass with his powerful hands. Somewhat startled, she gasped slightly and stepped back.

She then watched him stalk out of the classroom to his quarters, the blood from his hands dripping to the floor. With a quick utterance, the glass and blood were promptly removed from his injured hand. Severus then sat in one of his armchairs in front of the fireplace and pulled out a book. There is was again!

Fully expecting the memories to continue, Hermione was severely disappointed when she was suddenly cast out of them. What exactly was the point to this chain of memories? They didn't reveal the truth about anything. Feeling angered at being duped, Hermione shrieked in frustration. This couldn't possibly be it. She refused to believe it.

"There must be something I missed…there must be something with that book," she whispered and thought perhaps the personal journal with the initials SS engraved on it perhaps held some kind of indication over what the memories meant.

However, her hopes were then dashed when she tried to open the journal and felt a familiar seizing shock.

"Bloody hell," she cursed and dropped it abruptly. Staring at it on the floor, she saw that words were forming on the cover. She picked it up again and read.

"If you cannot figure it out…then you do no deserve to know," she read aloud. "It's another clue. Great. Just bloody great."

She sighed and slammed the book on the desk. "I do not have time for your games Snape!" She had a feeling Snape would not be sending her another letter telling her how to open the journal. The pensieve memories had to be the answer. Forget it, perhaps the journals on the Unforgivables will be of some help. She peeked in one of the books and was extremely delighted to find there was actually text in them!

Hermione glanced at the time and realized that dinner was to begin in five minutes. She hadn't made any appearances for breakfast or lunch so it would be wise if she showed up. After all, the last thing she wanted was Minerva to come down to the dungeons to start investigating.

Dinner was a sordid affair, professors gossiping idly, each asking what lessons they would be teaching, though they knew perfectly well what they were. Eager to return to her rooms, Hermione complained of a slight headache and bid everyone good night.

The next few weeks progressed more rapidly than Hermione had anticipated and she had not one encounter with Snape. It was a disappointment as well as a relief. Classes went better than she expected thanks to the lesson plans and the fact that most students were scared out of their minds over the war. Who has the inclination to act up in class when one's parents may be killed the next day? The mist of hopelessness and dejection did not go unnoticed by the Headmistress. Hogwarts was simply not the same anymore and any hope for normalcy lied with the ending of this blasted war.

Hermione did the best she could to keep herself distracted when she wasn't teaching. Her apprehension was ever growing and she hadn't even heard a reply from the boys yet. Her personal mission with Snape however filled her with purpose and it pleased her in a sick kind of way. It was better than teaching kids who had no desire to learn. The journals on the Unforgivables simply enthralled Hermione. They theories were unfinished; however, they were tested to a point. He had made miraculous progress in repelling the effects of the Imperious and the Cruciatus. However, his work on the Avada Kedavra was perhaps the most fascinating. It was the only one that was untested, but all the information was still there. He had cross referenced the Elixir of Life as well as the Draught of the Living Death with the curse. Why were these hidden? It's not as if anyone from the Death Eater circle could possibly find some use in this. They were all too stupid to follow the logic like Hermione had. If the Ministry got hold of these, they'd probably lock him up for so much as delving with the Elixir of Life alone. Not that Snape wasn't already in up to his neck.

"Perhaps he means for me to continue on with his work?" she thought to herself. There were many directions that Snape had pursued and Hermione inferred he was trying to create some sort of vaccination towards the killing curse. Furthermore, it seemed as if he was trying to create an elixir to mimic death. It reminded Hermione of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, when Friar Lawrence gave Juliet a potion to make it appear that she was dead so she didn't have to marry Paris.

"I wonder if Shakespeare was a wizard?" she mused to herself. She needed a little thoughtlessness, a little distraction. Everything had been a bit too much the past couple of weeks. She chuckled a bit, but her thoughts were interrupted by a loud crash in the bedroom. Wand in hand, eyes wary, Hermione ventured towards the source of the sound.

"Bloody hell!" Hermione's disposition calmed when she realized exactly who it was who had disturbed her. She walked into the bedroom, ready to give Snape a sound tongue lashing for being incredible rude, and loud. However, when she saw him, she couldn't form any hurtful words. There he was, supporting himself by hanging onto one of the bedposts and bleeding from his nose, hands and mouth. She also spotted many blood stains near the torso of his robes.

"Severus what happened to you," she cried out in alarm.

"Oh, so now you decide it's time to use my given name. Let me inform you Miss Granger, your timing is impeccable, as usual," he managed to get out.

"Nearly bleeding to death and you still find a way to berate me," she huffed and crossed over to him.

"What happened?" she nearly gasped when her fingers made contact with his face. As he was about to get out the words, a heavy knock came at the door.

"Oh, shit! Not now!" Hermione sighed in exasperation.

"Hermione are you all right in there?" she could hear Minerva's voice penetrating the doors. Hermione motioned for Snape to hide and she nearly ran to the door. Breathless, she threw the door open/

"My word Hermione, I came walking by and heard a very loud noise coming from here," she said.

"Not to worry Professor-err Minerva, I just added too many ylang ylang roots to a potion I was experimenting with," Hermione came up with quickly. "As you can see, or hear rather, the effects were rather volatile."

"I'm relieved to see you're all right. Very well then, it's after curfew and I must make sure everyone is in their dormitories. Do be more careful in the future," she nodded crisply and was on her way. Hermione released the breath she wasn't aware she was holding and shut the door.

"My God that was close," she whispered and made her way back to the bedroom.

"Severus?" she crept back into the room and merely found him sitting in a chair in the shadows.

"Why didn't you hide or something? What if she came in here?"

"My apologies Miss Granger, my mobility at the moment leaves everything to be desired. Not to mention that Minerva has never set foot in my rooms before and she had no intention on ever doing so. Oh and by the way Miss Granger, ylang ylang roots are hardly volatile and are virtually useless in any form of potion making."

"It was the first thing that came to mind," she admitted. "But enough of that, we have to take care of some of your wounds." She stalked over to the bathroom and opened several cabinets to find the salve she noticed in there before. Snape had still kept everything well stocked with healing potions, Pepperup, and other medicinal tonics. Hermione had never even made a trip to the Infirmary yet.

"Here, take off your clothes," Hermione nearly demanded when she came back.

"I beg your pardon, Miss Granger," he seemed appalled.

"Well I need information from you and you are hardly in the position to talk now," she insisted.

"I can talk more than adequately-," he stopped suddenly and winced in pain.

"See? Now just let me," she started unbuttoning his outer cloak and it looked as if Snape was simply too exhausted to argue the issue. She got to his torso and cast a cleansing charm on the three diagonal wounds flayed across his chest. The cuts were deep, but not fatal if properly cleaned and dressed. The salve was cool to the touch and Snape nearly jumped when she made contact.

"Keep still!" Severus never thought he'd see the day when the Gryffindor would actually boss him around. Close to forty-five minutes later, his broken ribs were healed, his wounds closed, and his exhaustion nearly gone. All that remained was a feeling of pleasant soreness.

"Are you feeling any better?" she asked, a pleading look in her eyes.

"Much." He didn't speak again, only rose and grabbed his cloak from the floor and proceeded to put it back on. Hermione was used to his short, clipped responses, but couldn't help but feel a little slighted.

"So that's it then?"

"Oh, I apologize Miss Granger," he drawled sarcastically. "Allow me to show my sincerest gratitude by telling you to find some way to cancel the next Hogsmeade weekend."

It took Hermione a moment before she realized Snape was finally providing her with some information.

"But that's this weekend-"

"Well then have it cancelled, at all costs. Do you trust me, Miss Granger?" he stared at her with the familiar menacing look.

"I suppose, I'm going to have to right now," she replied.

"I've been here far too long, so I must take my leave. By the way Miss Granger, if you were at all curious about my…condition tonight, you have Potter to thank for that," he snarled a bit.

"You saw Harry??" her eyes widened.

"No."

"Oh," she was taken aback, "well then what happened?"

He smirked a bit.

"It seems Potter found and destroyed another one of the Dark Lord's horcruxes."


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5: More Research……Again

Hermione's mind was reeling. Harry was one step closer to defeating Voldemort and she had to find some way…any way to get the trip to Hogsmeade cancelled…what to do, what to do…

"I'm going to have to tell Minerva I have information, but she'll become too suspicious, she'll figure out there's an informant. Perhaps I can convince her that going to Hogsmeade is much too dangerous for the students, especially at this time," she thought and then ruffled through her knapsack for a newspaper.

Recent attacks have become bolder by the day and who knows, the Death Eaters could strike at any moment, even school children in the midst of a field trip. While pulling it out, her cigarettes fell out of her bag.

"Hmmm, forgot all about those," she tossed them on her desk and out of her way. "Ahh, here we go," and she pulled out yesterday's issue of the Daily Prophet. She clipped out several articles about recent attacks and decided to back up her argument with some tangible evidence. Even if the attacks weren't made in Hogsmeade particularly, why risk it at all?

"I need to write to Harry, ask him about the horcrux," she said out loud, but then smacked herself on the head. They haven't responded to her previous letter, so to them, she has no idea they found a horcrux at all. They'd too, be suspicious of her and the last thing she needs is to draw attention to herself. Deciding to go to sleep, she cleaned up any evidence of Snape ever being in her rooms and cleaned up herself before retiring for the evening.

The next morning Hermione carefully gathered her things in her knapsack and prepared to make her case to the headmistress. As she ventured on to the Great Hall she coached herself. "Don't sound too serious, just serious enough…" As she entered the noisy atmosphere she made a beeline to her seat next to the headmistress and gave her usual greetings. After pulling poached eggs and dry toast on her plate Minerva spoke to her.

"Why Hermione I do believe this is the first time you've taken breakfast in the Great Hall," she had said jovially.

"Umm…yes after getting all of my lesson plans and grading assignments out of the way I finally have some free time," she replied, hoping Minerva wouldn't have noticed she practically only came to the Great Hall for dinner.

"Well then I'm glad to hear that, hopefully we'll be seeing you more often at meals then," her tone sounded just a bit motherly and authoritative.

"Yes, I had hoped as well," she smiled and dug a forkful of eggs in her mouth. She didn't want to make the Hogsmeade weekend the first topic of conversation, the art of subtlety was just too damn hard! Little did Hermione know, her most loathed professor would save the day.

"Minerva, I'm afraid I will not be able to go to Hogsmeade this weekend," said Professor Trelawney in her typical distant and wispy voice.

"And why not? You know we need as much supervision as possible, it simply would not be safe without such!"

"The stars have advised it so, I'm afraid I must comply." Minerva sighed and gave her a stern look.

"Well perhaps we should take into consideration the students' safety even with Professor Trelawney being there. Here look at these," Hermione said while pulling out some of her newspaper articles. "Look here, the attacks, while not at Hogsmeade are generally radiating to that direction. Why place the students in harm's way unnecessarily?"

"I suppose you make a valid point, but just take a look at all of your peers Hermione," Minerva said and motioned towards the student body. Hermione noticed the dismal air, even if there were students chattering away, the underlying fear in all of them was prevalent in the faculty's eyes.

"They walk around here like zombies Hermione, and once they begin to forget, and act like children again, they are once again brought back to the cruel reality of the war when a fellow student breaks out in tears over their parent's death, or when they read of horrible acts in the newspaper. Hogsmeade was a way to bring a little joy into each of their lives. Stern I may be, but certainly not heartless."

Hermione saw the sheen in her superior's eyes and realized how hard everything must've been on her. Losing a trusted friend and colleague, trying her best to do what the headmaster would have wanted, fulfilling the needs of her students, everything must've been so hard.

"I know you want to bring as much joy as you can to them, but they will understand you are just trying to protect them. They need to be alive in order to experience joy," Hermione consoled.

"You are right in that respect; perhaps it is best if it is cancelled. I shall make the announcement at dinner," she resigned solemnly. Hermione turned her attention back to her breakfast and played around with it. Mission accomplished!

So now what? Hermione continued on with her mundane day of teaching and grading and potions making. She had always thought to teach one day, but now, it seemed so monotonous and tiresome.

All she really wanted to do was retire to her rooms and complete some more research about Snape and read through potions journals and discuss theories and everything like that, not teaching eleven year olds the properties of bezoars.

This must've been Snape's everlasting frustration, thinking day by day of all the possibilities in the world, all the potions that could be made, all the formulas that could be tested and yet here she was, but this was her dream, this was the opportunity of a lifetime, wasn't it?

Towards the end of the day Hermione trudged back to her rooms, positively exhausted yet anxious to get to work, her real work. She whispered her new password and gained her much desired access.

After hanging up her robes, she went straight to the desk and picked up the potions journals and continued to read them. She had purchased her own leather-bound journal to begin writing her own notes of research. She had everything practically at her disposal, from ingredients, to a fully stocked lab, to a practically full library sitting five feet away from her.

Approximately three hours later, Hermione looked at the clock and realized she had just missed dinner. Oh well, she was doing research, eating didn't really matter at this point. However, she was tired and her eyes were beginning to bother her.

After reading much further, Hermione copied some of the theories she wanted to test and bottle up. Perhaps tomorrow or later in the week she would try them. Of course she added a couple of variables of her own to test, on top of Snape's already extensive list, but adding her own input surely couldn't hurt.

She was ready to drop by the time she finished reading the journals and making her own notes. Now the easy part was completed, the hard part was preparing all her supplies and testing every possible thing, every idea and every notion. Would testing all these things bring her the answers, did Severus intend for all this? Did he want her to complete what he could not?

Hermione glanced over to the other journal, the one possible full of all the answers that she desired. She bit her lip, shall she go to bed, or explore further? As much as she'd like to stay up all night and explore every possible aspect, she had a responsibility to her students, to Minerva; the rest would have to wait until tomorrow.

She was stuck on how to open the journal anyhow, the Pensieve memories were little help and she wondered how she was to figure it out. Perhaps she should uncover the secrets of the journal before she began her experiments. With that thought Hermione prepared for bed and let her overwhelming sense of fatigue conquer her body.

The following week, Hermione worked relentlessly on reading books upon books in the library, praying for anything, a clue, a password, anything. Minerva had cancelled the Hogsmeade trip much to the dismay of all the students, but Hermione knew it was for their own good. The Daily Prophet had written about several stores being ransacked and practically leveled. The Dark Mark was ever fixed into the sky, but that goes without saying.

So Severus was telling the truth, was he leading her into a trap? Was he only telling her some things to gain her trust and then mislead her on the most important instance of all? It was too early to instill all of her trust in him, perhaps after figuring out some more things she would feel better about the whole arrangement.

Her classes were going as expected, the students who wanted to learn did and those who didn't, well, Hermione just ejected them from the classroom, she didn't have time to waste on issuing detentions and the like. She didn't give grades out, they earned them. After her students learned she wasn't messing around, less and less of them were getting ejected and they paid what little attention they had to, to get by in her classroom.

Thank the heavens Severus left her lesson plans, Hermione really wouldn't have known what to do with these kids if he hadn't. Sure she was brilliant, sure she was mature, and certainly she knew how to tutor; however, teaching was a completely different level. She couldn't teach like their old potions master, she would be ridiculed and terrorized because no one had the resolve like Severus to teach in his harsh manner and if she was too soft everyone would walk all over her.

What she was doing now suited her needs at the moment and it allowed her to devote her attention to what mattered to her the most…Severus. Not that she cared for him or anything like that, but she did indeed care about the answers he held and the information he possessed. Even if he was evil and was using her as a pawn, she would have to admit she was duped by a brilliant man.

Hermione also hadn't heard from Harry or Ron and typically she'd be pulling out her hair with worry, but now she had Severus to fill her in. It was bit depressing really, her own two best friends couldn't write back to her and let her know what's going on, rather she had gotten the information from someone she was supposed to hate, someone that couldn't be trusted.

"At least I know they're okay," she mused, she was indeed thankful for any of the information she acquired. She was sitting at her desk, finishing up some mindless grading when she realized she had forgotten something very important. When she had last looked in Severus's pensieve, she had noted that the appearance of the "dirty" book was no coincidence. With Snape distracting her about getting Hogsmeade weekend cancelled, that little tidbit had slipped her mind. The book seemed so irrelevant to everything, it simply did not fit in, but perhaps that's what makes the book the perfect clue.

"Hmmm…" She set down her quill and eyed the pack of cigarettes.

"Surely one couldn't hurt," she thought and figured she had much reading ahead of her anyway. Albeit it was sort of mindless reading, no stone should be left unturned.

Before she started, Hermione decided to take a shower and wash all the grime of the day from her body. About twenty minutes later she walked out with the steam following her. Her maroon bathrobe was securely tied and her hair was twisted up in a black towel. Not bothering getting dressed, she headed straight towards her cigarettes and the leather armchair in front of the fireplace. Under normal circumstances, this would seem like a relaxing, quiet evening at home, however, for now it became the perfect environment to sift through information.

Grabbing a cigarette, she lit it and transfigured a small plastic ashtray to put on the arm of the chair beside her. Picking up where she left off, Hermione knew the flush that would be inextricably fixed upon her face.

Meanwhile, while Hermione was reading, Minerva was in her office contemplating the year thus far. Everything had been running pretty smoothly so far, however, something just didn't sit right with her. She had just lost her closest friend and confidante and trying to the best of her ability to fill in his shoes. It was quite the impossible task, but Albus had left behind some documents to her, telling her everything would be all right and the education of the students needed to take priority.

The last letter he had written to her happened to disturb her the most.

Dearest Minerva,

I'm afraid for you to be reading this I will have passed on, but I'm requesting that you remain strong as ever. Hogwarts needs you, your students need you and though I am gone, I trust you will manage well.

I must ask you a favor, when the time comes, I need you to request Miss Granger's help and you will know when the time comes. This is imperative and I am afraid I cannot reveal any more, should this letter fall into the wrong hands. Everything is not what it seems…

Albus

At the time, she hadn't know what he meant by enlisting Miss Granger's help, but when the Potions position needed filling, she had figured that's what he meant. Miss Granger proved to be more than capable to teach, but Minerva couldn't help but think that she had made the wrong decision. Nothing had happened yet, and Miss Granger hadn't come up with her with some startling discoveries.

"Perhaps I need to explore this further." She took off her glasses and rubbed her temples. This was going to be a long year indeed. Preparing students for the war wasn't going to be an easy task. She already had Remus working his students to the bone in Defense. Pretty soon, she was going to commission Hermione to start making healing potions and salves and anything that would help the Order. Preparations needed to be in the workings soon. Very soon.

About two hours later, Hermione was nearly finished with the book and it still seemed like she got nowhere. She placed the cigarette in her lips and shut the book; perhaps she should finish it later.

Hermione looked up and gasped, a shadow of a man was visible on the fireplace. She shot up and turned around, making the black towel entwined into her hair fall to the floor, revealing her still damp locks.

Severus looked at her and quirked an eyebrow, it was then she realized she still had the cigarette. He was going to kill her for smoking in his quarters! She felt like she was in muggle high school, caught smoking in the girl's lavatory.

He took a step towards Hermione and plucked the cigarette from her trembling mouth. He brought the offending object to his own lips and took a long, almost sensual drag. His eyes seemed to shut ever so slightly. Hermione could only stand there, too stunned to move or even say a word. He looked at her again.

"That's a filthy habit Miss Granger," he said whilst taking another drag.

"S-S-Severus I'm sorry, I didn't-." Severus held his hand up to silence her.

"That won't be necessary Miss Granger," he simply said and strode over to the chair and ashed into Hermione's makeshift ashtray.

He held the cigarette out to her and allowed her to take a drag whilst it was still on his fingertips.

"As long as I find no damage to my quarters Miss Granger, what you do on your own time is not my concern." Hermione nodded and saw him pull a pack of his own cigarettes. "We all have our secrets Hermione; I'm your professor no longer." She could only nod in response.

He glanced down and noticed the book she was reading.

"Well the girl is certainly right on track," he thought and put out the cigarette.

"Reading this mindless drivel Miss Granger?" he held up the book in question and gave her a look.

Hermione blushed furiously and quickly snatched the book out of his hands. "I-I thought perhaps there was something hidden here, maybe I was incorrect in my assumptions." He let out what could be considered a laugh at how defensive she was. What harm would there be in messing around with the little chit?

He noticed her cheeks go red and her eyes were glittering in angered embarrassment. Her lips were full and swollen, he assumed from her habit of chewing on them. She actually looked quite nice all fevered and flushed. Her hair was damp and he could almost be certain she wore nothing underneath her robe.

Hermione noticed him sizing her up, was he trying to intimidate her? Again she was caught. Did the book really have no other purpose? No. She couldn't allow herself to believe that, there were too many signs signaling to it.

"The bastard is trying to put me off track, but why?" she questioned and nervously bit her lip.

"There she is doing that again," he thought. If only she was some other woman and this was an entirely different situation, perhaps he would have felt as dirty as he did. The whole scenario was inappropriate, but Severus was never one to follow all the rules, and he was doing this to survive. She needed to learn to trust her own instincts, even if she was told she was flat out wrong.

"Well are you going to call me a silly little girl? Or an insufferable know-it-all? I've been waiting you know," she said and put her hands on her hips.

"Sweet Merlin, the cheek this girl has," he thought to himself and suppressed another little laugh.

"Stop laughing at me, I'm serious, I'm trying my best you know…" She didn't want to cry in front of him, but he was simply unnerving. Hermione looked down to her feet, trying to save her dignity. Suddenly, she felt his hands on her face and brought her gaze to his.

"One does not try to succeed, one simply does," he stated and wiped one of her tears away with his thumb. "Stop sniveling Miss Granger, it is most unbecoming." His words were harsh but his voice was unexpectedly tender.

Severus didn't understand why he was being so nice to the girl. He certainly didn't want her to give up, but she needed to be pushed. All the answers of life aren't just given to you, they needed to be pursued and pursued with great fervor.

Severus released her, he didn't really know why he came back. He really didn't have any new information. The Dark Lord was biding his time and other than some small scale trivial attacks. He had nothing for her, but why not make a little pit stop before retiring for the night? After all, he did want to see if the girl was making progress. She wasn't as far along as he'd like, but she was doing decently well. From the looks of it, she had prepared all of her supplies and just started experimenting.

"Excellent," he thought and hoped she would continue at an adequate pace. They still had time before the Dark Lord planned to strike against Hogwarts.

"Do you have any information for me?" she asked meekly.

"Not tonight I'm afraid, I did come by to see how you're progressing and while not impressed, I am pleased with your development."

Hermione lips curved into a slight smile, and Severus had to admit, it was slightly endearing.

"If Minerva hasn't asked you to do it already, I would start making extra healing potions and any medicinal potions you can think of just to prepare. Madame Pomphrey has already begun, but it doesn't hurt to be well- equipped."

Hermione nodded and grinned, she had already begun doing so. Half of Severus's second wardrobe was full of the items, however, she prepared them in case he had come back in a similar state as the last time he paid her a visit.

"Hmm…well it seems I have seen enough. I shall return in due course."

Hermione nodded and held up her hand in a slight waving gesture but quickly put it back down nervously. He retreated to the bedroom, where his secret exit was perhaps, but whipped around to face her.

"Remember Miss Granger, everything has its secrets," he said darkly and made his leave.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6: …What Now

Chapter 6: …What Now?

It had been an entire month since Hermione had last seen Severus, but she had received a letter from the boys. They had found the locket, and destroyed it with the Gyffindor sword they had just found, out of nowhere! It was preposterous and Hermione couldn't understand it. She couldn't ask Minerva about the sword, it would be too suspicious. She then decided she would just have to ask Severus about it when he came back. They had asked her for two bottles of Polyjuice potion, since she had access to all of the potions stores. Luckily, there were six bottles hidden away on the very top shelf. It took her more than a couple of hours, not wanting to spend the next month brewing it when she had so many other things to do. She sent them a reply with the bottles, asking them exactly what they needed it for. Normally, she would've asked first before giving it out, but they didn't write often, and they might've needed it immediately. Hopefully they would put it to good use and she wouldn't have to waste good potions. She was worried to put it lightly. So far, it sounded as if they were doing well on their quest for the horcruxes, and she needed to help them out as much as she could, albeit from afar.

She was down in her quarters once again doing some more research. She progressed quite well and she was only a few steps away from fully creating the potion that would mimic death. This was a truly wonderful happening. Severus would be so proud of her! Though he probably wouldn't say it. She smirked, Hermione Granger was a force to be reckoned with and brilliant beyond her years! Well…he wasn't going to offer her praise, she may as well do it for him.

"Ok, let me just add this over hear, and bring to a simmer…yes! Just like that, ooh and let me stir 16 times counter clockwise…" she was half humming and talking to herself. After stirring, she turned the flame down just a tiny bit and checked the clock. From her calculations, the potion should be left like that for another two hours before she could add the next ingredient. Her stomach growled and she realized dinner would be soon.

"Nice, I am starving," she was deliriously happy, and all over a potion. Hermione walked to the Great Hall with confidence and a skip in her step. Some of the students had speculated she was in love for her to be walking around so chipper all the time. Those whispered comments made Hermione want to laugh. Of course she was in love! In love with her work! In love with her accomplishments! Why shouldn't she be? Sure it was arrogant and vain, but she had worked hard and she would continue to work to the bone until all of the answers were discovered.

She ate dinner with in amiable silence among her colleagues. After she was finished, she bid them all good night and went back to check on her potion, although she still had another hour or so to leave it alone.

After checking on it to make sure nothing had overflowed or exploded on her, she sighed. She was always a little tense when she left the potion in the room. This particular version, which Hermione was sure was going to be the right one, had taken the last two weeks to brew so far. After adding her final ingredient, it would need to be stirred 300 times clockwise and then 600 counterclockwise and then to be left for ten days on extremely low heat. Hopefully, after that, she would have something substantial, but she wasn't sure exactly how she would go about testing it. She sighed again, that was another matter and surely she would figure it out after the potion was complete.

While waiting, she decided to tidy up a bit, and go over what she discovered thus far. After straightening up her desk, she pulled out her journal to write out her thoughts:

Items Found

Sex Book

Silver pendant

4 Potions journals

1 mystery journal

Pensieve

"Okay, no what do I know and what do I want to find out?" She continued to write:

Known

Pensieve points to sex book

Potions journals contains research on Unforgivables and death

Unknown

What's in the mystery journal?

What's the purpose of the silver pendant?

How everything links to Severus' innocence.

Theories

I am supposed to complete unfinished potions research.

I am supposed to figure out how to open that journal, or use the pendant to open the journal, or use the sex book to open the journal, or use the sex book to activate the pendant-

"Oh bugger! This is ridiculous!" she yelled and ripped that page out of the journal. "All of this just sounds so preposterous, I don't even know what to do next."

She had examined the sex book to the best of her abilities. She flipped through all the pages, tried looking for a secret nook or anything really that would point out any significance in it. There was nothing visible, so she supposed she still had to keep trying. Hermione blushed, she had about two hundred pages or so and the book would be finished. She hadn't had that much time to sit down and actually read it anyhow; she was terrified that Severus would just pop in and catch her reading it again, which would be really embarrassing. Lost in thought, her watch started beeping, which meant the potion was ready for the next step. Hermione jerked upright and flew out of her chair, now was the time!

"Excellent," she breathed and prepared the ground powder to be poured in. Her hands shook ever so slightly.

"Now Hermione concentrate, one teaspoon at a time," she whispered and listened to her own instructions. She had to be calm and stop shaking. The effects were untold if she were to drop too much in at a time so she needed to be as still as death. After the last speck was added, she charmed a counter on her stirring rod so that it would stop automatically after all the required turns. Hermione released her nervous breath and wiped the sweat off her brow.

"Well, hard part is over. Time to relax." She eyed the book on her favorite love seat and wondered if she should read a little before bed. She smiled and her decision was made. After all, she might find something important, what's the harm in research? She practically ran over to the chair now that she had justified her decision logically. Opening up to where she left off, she began to read about things she'd only dreamt about.

After about a half hour of twenty minutes of careful reading, she heard a pinging noise go off and nearly threw the book across the room. After realizing that it meant the stirring was complete and Severus wasn't dropping by for an impromptu visit, she visibly relaxed and set the book down. She checked the potion and everything looked according to plan, a soft shimmering black was the new color of the potion and it was admittedly beautiful. She lowered the flame once more and placed a shield around the potion. The last thing she needed was something to fly in there in the next ten days.

Hermione had a little bit of extra time before bed, but decided against reading. The noise had startled her out of a rather good mood and she didn't want to feel paranoid anymore. Perhaps she would finish another time. It wasn't like she had much more to go, might as well savor it.

"I'll just lie in for a soak and then I'll go to sleep," she thought. It was much too late to start anything new and she may as well wake up refreshed in the morning. Looking around and making sure everything was tidy enough, she set off to her room to retrieve her bathrobe, shedding clothes along the way.

Hermione made her way to the bathroom, hung her bathrobe and turned on the hot water. She felt the rushing water with her fingertips and was satisfied with the temperature. Surely relaxing in the tub would calm her racing heart that was still beating wildly after being scared. She opened a small cabinet on the wall and found her bath beads and proceeded to drop three in the water.

"Now where did I put my body wash?" she asked herself and looked around the tub area.

"I could've sworn I put it over there…" She spotted it, but it was in the wastebasket. She must've finished it off last night and forgot to buy some more.

"Oh great…maybe there's something else here," she looked around a bit more and sitting on the ledge of the cabinet was a bottle she hadn't noticed before.

"What do we have here?" She uncorked the bottle and a pleasant aroma immediately took her breath away. It didn't smell like an ordinary potion, or a potion at all really. Most potions didn't have a strong or overly fragrant scent. Not wanting to risk putting something unknown on her body, she walked back to the sink and turned the water on. She dabbed a small amount on her fingers and like she suspected, it lathered under the water. Surely Severus wouldn't mind her using this, she didn't even understand why he would have such a feminine smelling product in his bathroom. With the bottle in tow, she stepped into her bath and tied up her hair.

"Ok time for a mental checklist," she thought to herself, "Potion is almost complete, what next? Perhaps I should look into the Unforgivables next. It seemed like he was trying to come up with some sort of protection against it, what a breakthrough it would be if something like that could actually be brewed. His true intentions should be in that journal I can't open and that pendant has to be some sort of key…" She pondered further, she was missing something important, something that would unlock the journal's secrets and reveal the purpose of the silver pendant. The pendant might unlock the whereabouts of another pensieve…no. It had to be something much greater than that, if everything lied in a pensieve, it would have been in the first one; Hermione was almost certain of that. What she wasn't certain about; however, was why Severus Snape needed everything to be a puzzle. Wouldn't it have been easier to just tell her everything? Wouldn't everything be so much simpler if he told her his intentions, if he told her what it was exactly that she needed to complete?

Hermione sighed and sank further in the tub. She poured some of the bottle's contents in her hands and started to wash herself.

She would have to explore more tomorrow, but she had a few exams to administer and papers to grade. She had no idea how she would've been able to teach if Severus hadn't helped her out. Figuring out her own lesson plans and grading system, it would've been too much especially with everything else going on and Severus must've known that. It was difficult to pretend she was just at Hogwarts to teach when there were greater things lying underneath the surface. How in the world had Severus done it? He' s led a double life for must of his adult years, it was certainly no wonder that he was an exceptionally bitter man. She had only been doing this for a few months and she wasn't being tortured or beaten and she only had one master. She splashed the water at that thought.

"Well it's not like he's my real master, it was metaphorical and," she paused. If she really thought about the technicalities of it all, he really was her master and she had to obey him. If she didn't, she risked the lives of her parents, although he hasn't brought this up since the first night, so it seemed more like an idle threat to get her to start everything. She couldn't stop now even if she wanted to. She was closer to the truth now more than ever, and she was almost 100 convinced he wasn't evil. The key now, was to be able to find something that would prove that to everyone else. As she continued to think, she felt a vague tingling in her finger.

"Oh!" It was warm, and simply sensational. She rubbed her fingers together and liked how they felt. "It must've been the wash," she hummed and her eyes glazed over. All of a sudden, she felt unexplainably relaxed and then the rest of the sensation traveled its way down her body. Hermione gasped. It felt like hot sugar was being poured all over her body and her sensory nerves were being enveloped in sheer warmth.

"Oh this feels just wonderful," Hermione whispered to herself in ecstasy. She had never before felt this way. She had been to the spa with her mother a handful of times, but they had nothing on this baby. She ran her hands up the length of her body and stopped short at her breasts. When she touched them, they felt even more divine, so she continued to do it. She swirled her fingers around in a circular motion and she moaned. She couldn't stop herself, not that she wanted to.

"Oh-oh!" She started rubbing the side of her neck and cupped a handful of water to run over her body. Before she knew it, her hands were trailing to the lower parts of her body.

Simply put, Severus was more than a little pissed off. He couldn't believe the audacity of those boys, breaking into the Bellatrix Lestrange's Gringotts vault. He had provided them with the sword to destroy the locket and left them with three items Dumbledore had bequested him to give to them: the Deluminator, the Tale of the Beedle and the Bard, and the Resurrection Stone. With all of them, he also hinted at the hidden whereabouts of the Hufflepuff Cup, although never in his wildest dreams had he expected them to actually break into the vault. From what he heard, they had Polyjuiced themselves, although he could not fathom how on Earth they managed to get their hands on it. He suspected Miss Granger to have had something to do with it and he fully planned to ask her when he arrived back to his quarters. He was pleased that they managed to get into the vault and destroy the cup without getting killed, but that was the thing. They could've been killed and all of their plans would be for naught. He'd have felt better if Hermione was with them, but he needed her here at Hogwarts. Her purpose was greater than to simply be the brains behind those dunderheads' operations. Although he would have to admit that without her there, they managed fairly well and were using their minds to their fullest extent without depending on Hermione for the answers. He had watched them argue in the forest and Ron stalk off, but he managed to keep a close eye on both and leave them with the necessary items. He hoped they would figure out the whereabouts of the next horcruxes and soon. Being tortured by the Dark Lord was not an ideal prospect, but he supposed everything would be worth it in the end, even if he probably won't live to see it. He provided Miss Granger with the necessary elements to finish what he could not and so even if he died, his most important mission was now in her hands.

Out of anyone in the Order, he believed her to be the most intelligent and worthy. He never really liked the girl, but he really didn't dislike her either. Her insatiable desire for knowledge and answers made her all the more perfect for this. He was now outside the castle walls and made his way to the direction of the dungeons. When he finally arrived, he looked around for people. More than a handful of times he's had to Obliviate Hagrid and he didn't want to make it a habit. He whispered a spell and a password and the ground pulled out from under him. He used a slight levitation spell so he descending at a much slower pace than gravity would allow. He reached the bottom and whispered another password and stepped through the wall.

It was rather convenient how the Headmaster had set this up for him and he had done it when Voldermort had risen again. In a certain coordinate on castle grounds, a 2x2 magical patch of grass was spelled to look and feel like an ordinary patch of grass. With the correct password, it gave way to a tunnel that would descend to the dungeons where a portion of his bedchamber wall was spelled as well. The surfaces would turn into a peculiar liquid substance for five seconds exactly and he was allowed to step through, and no one would even know it was a secret entrance.

As soon as he entered his chambers, he had a strange feeling that something was amiss, that something wasn't quite right. He crept around stealthily to ascertain the state of his whereabouts. He continued out of the room and made sure no one was in sight.

"Where is Miss Granger, she is usually in here at this time of night," he wondered. He crept past the bathroom with the door open ever so slightly. What he saw, however, would be permanently embedded in his mind for the rest of his days.

"Oh good God!" he thought and backed straight into the wall. It was Miss Granger! In his tub! T-t-touching herself! He never found himself ever lusting after a student in all his tenure at Hogwarts. Never! He could hear her moaning through the door and he longed to be in there with her, longed to have his hands touching her in that way, longed to be the one to elicit those moans from her. Being strictly technical, she wasn't a student anymore, but a professor, an adult…oh but she was much too young, and he was much too old to be having these dirty thoughts of this young, but delectable woman.

"I have to get out of here," he whispered to himself. "I'll come back tomorrow night, this can wait one more day." With that, he promptly exited by which he came, not wanting to be tempted further into going off course. How inappropriate that she be doing that! How inappropriate that she leave to door slightly open so I could see her that way! Everything had suddenly and unwelcomingly become much more complicated.


End file.
